Southern Israel resident accused of smuggling 40 kilos of hashish

A 25-year-old resident of the Bedouin village of Bir Hadaj in the Negev has been charged with smuggling 40 kilos of hashish across the Egyptian border into Israel.

According to the indictment in Be'er Sheva District Court, the suspect and several other individuals arrived at the border fence in two SUVs as a group also approached the fence on the Egyptian side, carrying some 30 sacks of marijuana.

According to the police, the suspect or a member of his entourage loaded the cars with 26 bags of the drug before an army unit arrived at the scene, causing the suspect and his alleged associates to flee leaving four bags containing some 40 kilos of marijuana on the ground.